The Harsh Cry of the Moon
by Eticana
Summary: Born of different worlds, different times. A curious event brings them together and adversity makes them reluctant allies. Rated M for future chapters. Hope you enjoy!
1. Prologue

Hey everyone! Gosh, I'm really excited about this. This is my first ever fanfiction, the story will most likely be quite extensive, since i already have a lot in mind ;) I really hope you guys will like it! Feel free to PM me with anything you got, be it general comments, constructive criticism or just whatever you feel like - this goes for the whole story.

This is the prologue, written with Sesshomaru as the main character, thought it would be interesting to make that as a base line ;)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha!

The Vanished

He sighed to himself, perhaps he had overreacted? It was not like him to lose his temper like that, especially with his brother. Thinking back, he had definitely overreacted, Inuyasha had not deserved to be treated like that, even if he was just a lowly _Hanyou_.

The demon lord idly ran his fingers through strands of long silvery hair, before resting it back on the dark wooden railing of the terrace. He was contemplating the situation, like he had done so many times in the past month, and he kept coming to the same conclusion; Inuyasha had essentially done nothing wrong. Of course he could not just go parading through the demonic world with this information; it would upset the situation further.

His brother, the strongest half-breed in existence, had acted alone and though his actions had saved the lives of many thousands, one life had been lost, _one_ life, which could not be redeemed. An elder had died in the fallout of Inuyashas actions. An elder, who had just so happened to have lost it, he had tried to exterminate the entire southern tribe of wolves, as some sort of ritual. Inuyasha had killed him, trained and brought up as the best assassin the world had ever seen, his brother had killed an elder.

_An elder, you imbecile! How could you let an elder die?_ Sesshomaru thought angrily to himself. The entire demonic community was in an uproar, they had demanded Inuyasha publicly whipped, tortured and then executed.

The negotiations had been tedious, but he, Sesshomaru the Demon Lord of the West and son of the Inu no Taisho, had won nonetheless, denying them the life of his brother. He had taken matters into his own hands and would never forget the things he had done, the things he had said in his anger. He had banished his own brother from the pack of the collective canine clans and allies. Inuyasha, his only remaining blood relative, had been cast out, and was forced to live amongst the humans.

The railing started groaning under the growing pressure of his fingers which were clamped down on the wood. If anyone could do anything about the current situation, it would have to be him. His position could not be ignored, especially considering his heritage. Once again, he would have to go out of his way to help the half-breed.

With a sigh, Sesshomaru loosened his fingers on the railing, it was bent strangely and splinters were peeking out of the rough spots where his claws had digged in. He turned on his heel and began walking into the Tashio fortress to review Inuyashas case. He passed the screens that were left open for ventilation into the large building, and ignored the kneeling servants, sitting ready to close the door for the night when he came inside.

His demon eyes quickly adjusted to the artificial light of the torches which were evenly distributed along the walls of the great room. The room was big, scarcely furnished with tables and sitting areas. He flowed effortlessly across the large space and turned right, down a long hallway. The hall was decorated with tasteful paintings or sculptures and every pillar supporting the building had carvings of the clan crest; the crescent moon.

He noticed absentmindedly that a cool breeze seemed to follow him as he walked, he would have to point out to the servants that the outer doors had to be closed earlier at this time of year. Sesshomaru turned left, auto piloting through the endless halls of the Tashio mansion, towards his private study.

Opening the door with entirely too much force, he entered the dark room and sat down with an uncharacteristic huff. He was tired of his brother, constantly causing him trouble. The brat would never learn; the past 145 years had not been enough to tame Inuyashas defiance.

He was deep in thought, not thinking of anything in particular when a thought suddenly forced itself to the forefront of his absent mind; _the mansion will be empty without him_. As soon as the thought announced itself, Sesshomaru let out an angry growl. Clearly he had gotten too used to his brat brothers presence.

Inuyasha had never fit into life at the mansion, though it wasn't so much a mansion as it was a fortress of massive proportions. It was entirely crafted out of wood, specially carved and infused with fire resistant magic of the old days. Every pillar and every visible beam proudly carried the mark of the Tashio clan. It was situated on the side of a mountain, covered in immense trees and inhabited by countless species of animals. The fortress itself was safely ledged on a natural plateau, which not only had sunlight from dawn till dusk, but was protected from the wind due to the surrounding natural barrier.

Sesshomaru sighed once again, he had long ago lost count of how many times he had to find his runaway idiot of a brother, hiding in the vast forest or running away from aggressive animals. No, Inuyasha had never really fit into the life at the mansion. It was an enormous building, with two stories and several side buildings for different purposes. The location itself was special, since it allowed for a particular addition to the initial design. In Sesshomarus younger days, his father had insisted that the practical parts of the mansion were tainting the idealistic purpose of the design. As a result, a labyrinth of halls, guest room and staff facilities had been carved into the mountainside. The only entrance was through the mansion itself, and it provided a vast amount of opportunity for training facilities that would not compromise the grandeur of the Tashio name.

His home was immense, he was proud to say, but he was reluctant to admit, that without his brother it seemed…empty? The demon stood angrily, his silken robes flaring at the sudden movement. _He_, the great Sesshomaru, Lord of the West, was _NOT_ attached to his good-for-nothing half-breed of a brother… It was _impossible_! He strode to his desk, which was buried under towers of parchment. He was determined to sort out this situation.

He was in a bad mood, and the servants normally knew when to leave him alone with his thoughts. The demon lord was in his private study, going over the facts of his brothers banishment once more when suddenly, through the thin walls, he could hear footsteps coming closer. They were rapid, someone was running?

He turned in his seat, raised his head slightly, as if to look down on whoever entered the room.

The sliding door was flung open and a man stumbled inside. Sesshomaru raised a brow. The man was gasping for air, his clothes were torn and he was covered in sweat and dirt. The man threw himself on the floor, his forehead resting on the smooth wooden planks, waiting for permission to speak. He was still fighting to catch his breath as he waited for the lord to acknowledge him.

The minutes ticked by, Sesshomaru had almost immediately turned back to his studies of Inuyashas case and decided that he was not interested in hearing what this… peasant looking man had to say.

After about thirty minutes, the man dared to speak, "M-my lord…?" his voice was even, now that he could breathe easily again.

Sesshomaru stopped reading and turned slightly in his seat. His eyes were cold and his expression showed no emotion what so ever. "You should know your place," he said in an icy tone. "The next time you have the audacity to show yourself to me in such a… condition, I will have your head. Luckily for you, I have no desire for an execution today… You may leave." He concluded in a bored tone and turned back to his desk.

The man hesitated, it was not just unwise to cross any command of the Lord of the West, it was stupid, practically a death sentence. Everyone knew that Sesshomaru, though fair, had killed people for the slightest mistakes. "B-but… My l-lord," he stammered, "It concerns the Dark Prince, my lord Inuyasha…"

Sesshomaru froze, this man carried news of Inuyashas whereabouts. "Speak!" his voice was laced with tension and the man quickly sat up.

"My lord, we followed Inuyasha like you said. I am afraid I bring bad tidings." Sesshomaru now turned to face him; the man was fidgeting nervously on the spot. "I-… The young lord, Inuyasha… Has vanished… Rumor has it he was s-… He was sealed by a human priestess."

At that moment it was as if time stood still. Sesshomarus eyes widened dangerously, flashing a bright red, and a furious growl escaped his lips. "WHAT?"


	2. Chapter 1: Freedom

Hello everyone. I'm truly sorry it has taken me so long to write the first chapter, but it is finally complete, to a point where I am mostly happy with it. I'm a perfectionist and it has been rewritten 3 times already.

Thanks to my first four reviewers, I'm super excited to already have people following the story, and even more so to hear what you think of it :D Hope you will find the first chapter to your liking. As I have stated before, if you notice something being off in any way, feel free to let me know – as I am not a native speaker of English, I do try to make as few mistakes as possible, but some of them simply slip through.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha.

Freedom

He couldn't take it anymore. Despite his best efforts, the darkness was getting to him. He knew he was losing hope, losing sight of who he had once been. Everything had dimmed; even his memories seemed like nothing more than a dream now. Like a dream slipping through your fingers the second you wake. Nothing was real anymore except for the all consuming truth that he was trapped, in darkness…

His thoughts were numb; there was nothing for him, nobody waiting for him, nobody searching. The first time he has awakened, he had been struck by panic. Completely unable to move his body, he had placed hope in his voice to gain attention, calling for help at the top of his lungs, thus he had spent every waking minute. He had called to her, wished she would find him. He had yelled her name till his voice was nothing more than a raspy whisper, and then he had shouted some more. His body was still and unmoving, like it was submerged into solid rock, only leaving his head free to move, it was entirely vertical, and when he finally could not stay awake any longer, his head hung limply from the constricting dark prison. For months it had been this way, even when his voice was failing, and when he was on the verge of sleep, he would call to her.

It had taken years before he had finally stopped trying to call for help, and realized that nobody would find him. Yet even so, he had not given up hope completely. Her face was one of the few things that he still remembered; it was seared into his memory, the one woman who had accepted him for being who he was. She had treated him like an individual, not like the younger Tashio brother. He had lived in the shadow of his brother for most of his life, yet she had treated him like just another person. He had been grateful, and he had loved her for it, though he could never tell her this. He loved Kikyo with every fiber in his body… and now she was lost to him.

He had long since lost track of time, and was constantly drifting in and out of sleep, mumbling incoherently from time to time, just to hear the sound of his own voice. This day was just like all the others, it could for that matter have been night too, he would never know. He had thought his situation through quite often, not that he had much else to do, but the worst part of being stuck in the abysmal darkness was that he did not know anything. He didn't now know where he was, how much time had passed or what was going on in the world where he had grown up. Everyone he had ever known could be dead, and he would never know the difference. Opening one of his eyes and looking out into the blackness, he sighed. This was not how he had wanted to live his life.

Yes, this was just like every other time he had woken up since he had gotten stuck here. Dark, hopeless and… SLAM! Inuyashas head jolted up at the sudden sound. He was confused and instantly disoriented by the loud sound, it could not just have been his imagination playing tricks on him, he had felt the vibration in his entire body.

He was acutely aware of the dark surroundings, which seemed impossibly interesting to him all of a sudden. Had someone finally found him?

His question was answered when an urgent whisper reached his sensitive ears; "Shit! Kags! You need to be more careful, we're only here to get the necessary things, leave that stupid rock alone… and please try not to drop more stuff, I'd rather not get caught by these people," it was a man talking.

_S-Someone is there!_ Inuyasha thought desperately and wanted to call out, but of course, at that exact moment in time, his voice refused to work. He cursed inwardly, pulling at his invisible restraints to get closer to the sound, closer to this small connection to the outside world.

"I know, I know," a woman's voice sounded, in the same low yet urgent tone, "but there is something about that stone…"

There was a sigh, "Women and your trinkets… Fine take it, but get ready to leave, we don't have much time!"

The woman chuckled, and Inuyasha could almost imagine the smile that played across her lips at the sound. "I got it," she said.

Inuyasha heard footsteps, as someone left the room. There was another sound, which he could not place, but suddenly the woman's voice was very close; "I wonder why they would have a stone like this one, it has a strange energy about it."

The second she finished her sentence, Inuyasha got a strange feeling, he could feel a soft breeze brush his bangs across his forehead. It tickled and he shook the stray hair away. His eyes were searching the blackness for any sign of life, any sign that this woman was as close as she sounded. A sudden glimmer caught his attention, it was small, and seemingly very far away. Like a lone star in the midnight sky. It twinkled lightly, and he almost got the feeling that it was signaling to him, telling him to be ready.

Physically, there was not much he could do to be ready, his body was as still as ever, so he prepared mentally, not knowing where he would end up, if the world was still the same or if he still had a small place in it. He did not care, as long as he was getting the hell out of this place, he would take the consequences when he got to them!

His golden eyes sparkled to life as the tiny speck of light grew, slowly stretching out to him. The shadows were fading, and though the light was not bright by any means, he could hardly even look straight at it, and yet he did. It was all he could do, hope and anticipation built up in him, like a wave ready to crash onto the beach.

When the light enveloped him completely, illuminating every inch of skin, every stitch of his torn clothing, he was yanked from his prison and hurled into the brightness, to his freedom… or so he believed.

He was vaguely aware of lying on something, too preoccupied with how weak he felt, as if breaking free had tapped his powers somehow. His breaths were harsh, as if his lungs were trying to compensate for years and years of not breathing proper air. After a few seconds he noticed the sound of a second set of ragged pants, originating from somewhere below him, just above his head.

Groaning, the _hanyou_ placed one hand on the floor, supporting his weight as he tilted his head up. His tired golden eyes fixed on a pair of widening brown ones. His mind quickly fast forwarded through the conversation he had heard before; _the woman… Kags? S-she freed me?_

She took in a deep breath, and he thought for a moment that she was going to try and calm down, and then talk to him, instead his ears immediately flattened against his head when she released a soul shattering scream.

* * *

><p>Here she was again, getting herself into trouble. Life had never been easy, especially for her and yet she had found a way to get by. Her name, was Kagome Higurashi, a common name in her region, which until recently had been fairly shielded from the disputes of the human clans.<p>

Three years ago, everything had been turned upside down. Her life, like so many others, would never be the same. The memories of that time still held the power to keep her awake night after night. Reminding her how cruel the world could be.

She had grown up in a small mountain village called Kudo, where her family had been in charge of maintaining and running the local shrine. As such, she had basically been a shrine maiden or priestess since she was born. She had lived a normal life, well as normal as it was possible, being a priestess and all, in a small village where pretty much everyone worshipped on a daily basis.

Her grandfather, who was withered and grey, always reminded her of the wind. This was not because of his wispy white hair, which would flow with every breeze if not tied back nor was it because he could go on and on about the ancient legends of their family. No, it was because he could be as gentle as the warm summer wind and when he needed to be he could be as harsh and unrelenting as the winter storms that raged every year. He was the air of her family, he reminded them all that no matter what, nothing was ever set in stone, and to her, he was a constant reminder of who she was.

Her father had always been the earth, the strong and unyielding foundation of love that gave strength to their family. It was in many ways his best quality, his love simply overflowed and shone like the sun upon the entire family and everyone who visited the shrine. Some of the villagers would whisper from time to time and call him a saint due to his seemingly never ending kindness. No matter how little food their family had, and no matter how scarce their money, if others needed aid, he would somehow find a way to satisfy both his family and the ones in need. Like earth, he was strong and in her mind, he would never perish, he couldn't because there would be no family without him.

Her mother was water. Like her grandfather, she could be soft, as subtle and gently as a single droplet of rain and as harsh as a wave crashing onto the beach. In truth, they had always been very alike, but her mother brought something to their little family which her grandfather never could. She brought a ray of light, which was reflected like a rainbow off of the water in her. Beauty, radiance and simple yet pure happiness. In Kagome's eyes, her parents had very much been made for each other.

She had never really considered herself as an essential element in her family, but she remembered clearly when her mother had told her that she was like snow, covering everything in an ethereal glow. She was like snow that could be carried by the wind, could cover the earth completely and was made of water. She had always liked this metaphor, and when she got older her mother had started to call her Yuki. Kagome '_Yuki'_ Higurashi.

When Kagome turned 5, her younger brother Souta was born. Unlike her, he was more like a tree, deeply rooted in the love of their father, nourished by the happiness of their mother and swayed lightly by the wind. Souta '_Tsuri_' Higurashi.

Kagome had always been happy; she had always been completely at peace with her life. But it was not meant to last. In a single day, every dream she had ever had, every hope and every happiness she had ever known, had been shattered before her eyes…

When Kagome turned fifteen, ironically it was exactly on her fifteenth birthday, the northern warlord had decided that his armies needed replenishing, and had gone on a rampage through their region, recruiting every able bodied man and young boy. The unwilling recruitment in itself had been bad enough, but this warlord had no scruples about letting his deprived men have their fun with the leftover families after their husbands and sons had been escorted away. And that… was exactly what had happened….

The Tohan, people of the northern territories and the ones who had taken her family, her home and her happiness, she would never forget. Kagome had held a grudge for anyone from those clans since that time.

Since then, she had been living on the edge in many ways. Her mother had somehow been broken that day; the silent strength that she had carried within her was all but gone. The village had been burned to the ground, and they had to migrate to the big city. Kagome had been badly injured by the soldiers, and whilst she had been passed out, they had found and taken her brother away. So now it was just her and her mother.

Sara, Kagomes mother, in trying to provide for her daughter, was forced into prostitution and was eventually recruited as a concubine for the local lord. Kagome had been extended the same offer and had immediately declined.

She had instead joined a small band of resistance fighters, struggling against the Tohan mainly through sabotage. The band was lead by a man from the same region as her; Varian. He had taken her under his wing and taught her how to survive on the streets, since she was considered way too young to participate in the bigger missions. She had learned to pickpocket, to pick locks and to escape the law when she had to.

When she had turned 18, Varian had proposed to her, promising that he would make the world a better place so they could be together. She had been immensely surprised, firstly because she had never seen it coming and she did not feel anything romantic for him at all and secondly because he was several years older than her. She was eighteen and he was going on thirty-six. She had politely declined, and had since then always felt kind of awkward around him.

A few months prior to her current position, Varian had recommended her for a special mission which would greatly help their cause. Kagome accepted, feeling that she pretty much owed her life to the men of the small group that had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go.

She knew why she had been chosen. Since joining the group, she had developed an ability which could hardly be explained as anything but magic, though she insisted that it was a gift from the gods she had grown up worshipping. She could feel others expectations, whether it be gestures or words, she could feel it and chose to act on it or not. This of course made her an excellent thief because it allowed her to get past guards without ever seeming suspicious.

A few weeks ago, they had received a tip that one of the Tohan lords had been summoned to the capital, and would be bringing with him a majority of his guards. Now, this was not just any lord. His name was not important, but his trade was. He owned a fortress in the western region of the Tohan territory, and specialized in the crafting of youkai weapons. Weapons forged with the power of demons.

Kagome did not like the idea, but knew that if they possessed even a few demonic weapons, the sabotage of supplies for the army would be much easier. They had planned the coup in detail, Kagome was to dress as one of the maids of the fortress, seen as these particular maids were entirely too privileged and had access to pretty much everything, including the town outside. After she got in, she would slip to the back of the structure and open a window, where the others would come in and do the job. It was simple really; the plan was to be in and out before anyone even noticed that they were there. This required stealth, so Kagomes initial break in was necessary.

It was early April, the weather was mild and the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Kagome sighed, she was nervous. She flicked some stray locks behind her ear and took a deep breath. _Calm down Kagome, everything will be fine._ She reassured herself, though it wasn't really working.

She quickly checked her disguise, it had to be perfect, if it wasn't she would be compromised before she even got through the gate. Her fingers trailed over the skirt. It was white and way too tight for her taste, but it seemed the lord of the fortress had some perverse ideas about how women should be dressed, and the maid dress code clearly reflected his sentiments. The tight fabric enhanced the curve of her hips provocatively and slimmed down in a constricting way, making it difficult to walk normally. Her shirt was thankfully more traditional, it was a black kimono shirt, with wide sleeves. It was comfortably baggy around her waist where it was fastened with a belt. Unfortunately, the promising piece of clothing was also in conflict with her modesty, the shirt was made specifically to enhance her breasts, and therefore revealed way more cleavage than she had ever revealed before. Well, more than she had ever revealed whilst actually wearing clothes. She checked her shoes, not that she needed to check if they were still there, they were way too small, even for her petite feet, and she just knew that she would have blisters by the end of the day.

Everything seemed to be in order.

She pulled a purple cloth from one of her overly large sleeves. This was the last bit of her disguise. Carefully, she tied it around her upper left arm, making sure that the white jagged pattern on the fabric was clearly displayed. It was the mark of the Tohan, the clan who owned this particular fortress.

She took a deep breath, the fact that it was a Tohan fortress made her nervous. Ever since she had heard where they were breaking in, her dreams had been getting worse.

_Ok, Kagome, you need to concentrate, don't let them get to you,_ she thought.

She was ready, everything was in order. She stepped up to the door which creaked loudly by the hinges. One of their local supporters had acquired a storage room for them to use as a hideout for the duration of the mission. It was located at the far end of a dark alley, which was only a few minutes' walk from the main gate of the outer wall.

Kagome stepped out, the late afternoon sun was warm and the street was bustling with people.

The door closed easily behind her, surprisingly quiet, and she moved inconspicuously out into the crowd. There were peasants, salesmen, carriages, horses and trade goods everywhere. For someone who was not used to big cities it would have seemed like complete chaos, but Kagome had lived in areas just like this for the past couple of years. She wove easily through the masses, concentrating on actually walking with the stupid constricting skirt.

She turned a corner and came to an abrupt halt. The fortress lay before her, but it was nothing like she had imagined. Normally fortresses would be grand, white or wooden, lined with gold or copper, or something like that. Not this one. The entire structure was massive and despite the bright sunlight it was completely and utterly black. She squinted, it was almost a polished black, and it hardly seemed possible. The towers rose from the ground like angry shadows threatening to pierce the light blue sky above. Kagome could only stare. Dark pillars of equally black smoke rose from various parts of the fortress, bearing witness to the activities within.

She gulped, for the shortest of moments, she was afraid of continuing. Afraid that if she got any closer this monstrous building would swallow her up and leave nothing left.

She was jolted from her thought when someone bumped into her. The stranger quickly shuffled on, mumbling a short apology in passing. Her eyes trailed hesitantly back to the intimidating structure, this was _so_ not going to go well. With that in mind, and despite her own doubts she moved forwards.

The dark shadow of the outer wall towered before her. If she could have described an intimidating building to someone, this would be it. The coloring was unnatural, dark as night even in the middle of the day. She was getting closer to the entrance and was suddenly aware of a considerably large convoy moving slowly through the gates. The big carts were queued along the wall, not through the city streets, which would be why she had not seen them until now. The crowd of the town was thinning and Kagome did not have to be as attentive to the traffic.

Seemingly, the carts were being searched and inspected by the guards of the fortress, and one by one they were allowed access to the courtyards.

Kagome decided to play it safe, so instead of charging up to the gate and demanding immediate attention, she walked over to one of the carts and stood patiently, waiting for the long queue to move forward. Hopefully the guards did not need to do a thorough search of her before she could enter. The thought gave her the chills, quite literally.

A young boy, around the same age as her, suddenly leaned down from the seat of the cart, slacking the reins for the two horses in front. He looked to be lanky, even as he bent down towards her, smiling widely.

"Why hello there," he said in a heavy southern accent. His short brown hair was unevenly cut and a few spikes of defiant hair hung loosely down across his forehead, free from his small lose ponytail. She looked at him, he was not ugly by any means, he had a kind of boyish charm which seemed to radiate around him. Even so, she did not want to get close to anyone. Her job required the utmost stealth, so having random people around the fortress being able to remember her could turn out to be a problem. Her anonymity was heavily based on her ability to just be a face in the crowd.

She smiled shyly at the boy, bowing her head in a typical greeting, but did not say anything. Hoping that he would catch her drift, she took a few steps forward, effectively turning her back on him without seeming aggressive about it.

She heard a dejected huff behind her, thankful that it had worked.

The convoy moved forward at an alarmingly slow pace, Kagome was beginning to think that she might not actually make it in before sunset, when a guard stepped out of the line to gaze down along the endless line of supply wagons. He spotted her and waved her ahead.

Kagome sighed with relief, finally a lucky break.

She neared the gate with a fake smile plastered on her face. In these situations, looking innocent and naïve would most likely help her.

"Over here, miss." Someone called to her. Kagome looked up to see an aging man waving her over. He was big… that was the only word she could really think of to describe the man. He was very tall with broad shoulders which smoothed down to two muscular arms. Her mind quickly analyzed the situation; it had become a habit over the last couple of years. This man was taller than her and obviously stronger, yet the mere size of his muscular limbs gave her the distinct impression that he would not be as fast and physically flexible as her, so if anything went wrong, she would still have an escape. Comforted by this, Kagome relaxed and planted a gently smile on her face. She was hard pressed not to gasp when the man turned around and she saw him up close for the first time. The entire left side of his face was marred by deep purple scars; they continued up past his receding hairline and created a jagged pattern into his short hair.

Kagome swallowed, _keep a cool head Kagome, if you lose that, then you are as good as dead! _She looked him in the eyes and widened her smile slightly.

The man looked her over and Kagome could almost feel his lecherous eyes trailing over the curve of her hips and up to her barely covered breasts. It didn't just make her uncomfortable, she felt absolutely repulsed by him.

"You are a pretty one," the guard said gruffly, his small eyes flickering to the other guards who were busy inspecting the wagons. Then he leaned in closer, the obvious lack of personal hygiene hit Kagome like a hammer. This man smelt immeasurably bad, like he had just bathed in week old intestines and topped it off with rotten fruit.

_I'm gonna throw up!_ Kagome thought frantically, but forced her rebelling stomach to at least keep its contents, whilst she struggled to keep some semblance of a smile on her face.

"When you are off duty, you should come see me…We could have some fun, if you catch my drift?" his rough voice rumbled.

She looked up, even more disgusted than she had been before. Varian and even Arai, another of her comrades, had warned her that this might happen, but she had not really prepared for it, thinking that since she was only breaking in for the day that no one would even notice her enough to try and flirt with her.

The man cleared his throat and stepped a little closer, further intensifying his smell. "Right, spread your legs and stretch our your arms, I need to check you for weapons." He stated loudly, as if to let the other guards know that he wasn't slacking.

Kagome instantly regretted following his instructions when one of his big hands immediately founds its way to her ass where it squeezed appreciatively. Her eyes widened with surprise, but before she got the chance to say anything she was pulled flush against him, his hard armor feeling more like running into a brick wall than a person. He reached his other arm around her and she could feel both of his grabby hands on her ass.

At this point she was hard pressed to not blow her cover. Even though she knew this man was both bigger and stronger than her, she could not help it; she wanted to beat him to a pulp!

"Aw, no hidden weapons here," he said, sounding almost disappointed. Kagome gulped, her mind was a jumble of thoughts and she did not know what to do.

One of his hands moved up her back, sliding over the smooth fabric of her shirt and up behind her head where he twined his fingers through her hair.

This man seemed absolutely oblivious to her physical frailty in comparison with him, and practically crushed her against his hard armor. While holding her against him, he leaned down, his overly moisturized lips finding their way to her ear. "Come find me tonight… West wing, basement… at midnight, I will show you a good time"

He released her slightly, and Kagome couldn't shake the feeling of needing a towel to try off the ear he had been talking into. How was it even possible to be this ignorant?

She plastered a smile on her face and bowed her head. "As you wish," she said in the sweetest voice she could muster.

_I need to get away from this man!_

He smiled widely at her, revealing quite few missing teeth and a lot of yellow ones. "My name is Yeven, just ask for me."

Kagome nodded.

"Good, now… Password?" he asked, seemingly tired of the antics, but not brave enough to completely disregard the rules of the fortress.

Kagome got a tingling feeling; he was expecting something specific from her. She took a breath and spoke the first thing that came to her mind; "Nelumbo Nucifera."

_What the hell was that? Was that even words? _Kagome thought to herself.

Apparently she had, quite literally, hit the nail on the head, because he stepped to the side and gestured for her to move inside. She scurried forward, glad to have passed the test.

The structure, which had been so intimidating from the outside, was even more so on the inside. The walls all around the courtyard were the same abysmal black color. _Very foreboding indeed,_ Kagome thought to herself.

She nimbly moved in between the parked carriages and avoided walking into the numerous people that were unloading some very smelly crates. Stopping momentarily to allow a large man with a crate in his hands to pass, she noticed the dark liquid that was dripping out of the wooden object.

_Surely not._ She thought, this was how they imported materials for their weapons? Dead demons? The idea was repulsive, so she pushed it out of her mind and was now, more than ever, determined to get out of the courtyard as fast as her feet could carry her. Without causing suspicions of course.

After a few minutes of valiant effort, Kagome reached a door, leading into the northernmost building. As far as she had understood from their source of information, this was the main armory, which was occasionally used to house high-ranking visitors. It was supposedly not very well guarded, and there were no guests in the building at the current time.

Signing in relief at finally being out of the open, Kagome quickly set about determining the intended location of their break-in. She walked through the long empty corridors and soon found the place she had been looking for. It was a small room, meant as more of a working area for an accountant or something of the sort, with a big window which was not so protected by the wall, since it was facing the river at the back of the fortress.

Kagome hurried in her preparations, quickly pushing a large wooden desk away from the window. She made sure that the hallway was empty and the door was securely locked from the inside before opening said window. Leaning out and looking down, she saw a small boat bobbing peacefully in the water, seemingly occupied by fishermen, deep in conversation. The boat was directly under the window, which confirmed that they were indeed her allies. Giggling a little to herself at their unassuming appearance, she gave the signal, a loud whistle, which on this side of the castle would not be perceived as more than one more noise of the fortress.

Instantly, the four people below looked up at her.

After struggling a little with fastening the rope her allies had thrown through the open window, they emerged from the opening one after one.

First was Arai, a twenty-seven year old specialist in break-ins and an excellent spy. He had semi-short black hair, which framed his handsome face and was braided in the back. His clothes were those of a typical fisherman, grey and covered in water and weeds from the river. Had they actually been fishing while waiting for her? It sure seemed like it. He smiled brightly at Kagome as soon as he was in and congratulated her on a job well done, though she knew that they still had a lot to do.

The next couple of minutes, waiting for the others to hoist themselves up, were slightly awkward. Arai, though often busy, and rarely at the hideout of their group, had a couple of days ago pulled Kagome to the side and confessed his feelings for her. It had been a very touching moment, and Kagome had almost been inclined to accept the engagement. Arai was kind, sweet and considerate of everyone. She had never seen him angry nor unnecessarily aggressive. She could not deny that he was attractive; girls both within their group and in public often threw themselves at him. Yet somehow, she had been unable to accept his offer of a relationship.

Kagome had since running away from her mother vowed to not ever get into a relationship to which she could not dedicate every fiber in her body and every shred of her soul. It was likely that she would never find such a relationship, but she remained hopeful, and just like she had done with Varian, she had turned Arai down.

He had not held it against her, and continued to treat her like he always had.

Next to enter the window was Kisa, who despite only being seventeen was irreplaceable for their mission. They all had their individual expertise, Kisa, much like Kagome had a strange and unexplainable ability, he could sense how much youki was forged into weapons by 'resonating with the metal', as he liked to call it. He was very short and not very muscular. His thin blonde hair hung loosely down past his shoulders and down over his face, effectively covering most of his features. Kagome had only one seen the boy without the veil of hair hanging over his face and she had been astonished to discover that he was absolutely beautiful. After inquiring about his hairstyle preference, he had confided that most of the other men made fun of him, because they considered his features feminine. Nonetheless, Kisa had earned every ounce of respect that he had. His expertise with daggers and short swords was nearly unmatched, some even referred to him as their resident ninja.

Kisa lightened the mood significantly for Kagome. He somehow reminded her of her younger brother, and they had been very close friends since their first encounter two years ago. The boy was talking merrily, in a hushed tone, about how excited he was to be in the fortress at last, and that he could practically feel the hum of youkai energy.

The last two members of the group, Kagome did not know so well. One of them was called Kaal, a rather robust man in his late twenties with long shaggy brown hair. The other was a nimble woman named Irai'azu, supposedly from some of the eastern desert tribes. Apart from the name Kagome knew nothing of her, the woman always wore a thick scarf which covered her face and her entire body was covered with some sort of cloth.

They all worked together, erasing all evidence of their break in. The table was moved back into place, the window was sealed tight and even the small droplets of water from their clothing were quickly wiped up.

"Okay, let's get a move on." Arai ordered. They all moved out of the room, Arai in the lead followed by Kagome and Kisa, while Kaal and Irai'azu covered the rear.

Kagome thought it extraordinary that their group had made it so far, and was surprised at the general stealth abilities they all seemed to possess. All their footsteps were muted, and would only be heard if someone was really listening for them.

When the hall split in two, Arai gave the order to stop.

They waited a few moments for Kisa to assess where they needed to go.

"There are two rooms of interest," the boy spoke slowly, concentrating on locating the objects. "The one to the left seems to have more items than the one to the right," he added.

Arai nodded, "Kaal, you Kisa and Irai go to the left. Take as much as possible, but not anything that will slow us down. Kagome and I will take the one to the right." He looked at her, a million unspoken words in his eyes, and then he looked back to Kisa, "Can you pinpoint how far down the corridor it is?" he asked.

Kisa furrowed his brow in concentration, "It's…. about a hundred meters," he concluded.

Arai smiled, "Good, we have not been discovered yet, the timeframe is about thirty minutes. You have twenty-five to grab what you can and meet us here." He looked at Kaal who nodded in agreement.

Kagome followed suit as soon as Arai took off. He wasn't exactly running, but walking very fast at least. She counted the steps in her hear, trying to estimate how far they had gone when she suddenly came to a halt. Something was weird.

She looked around suspiciously, she could feel…_something_.

"Kags!" came Arais voice from somewhere ahead of her.

She was completely distracted and waved absentmindedly at him before entering a small room to her right. It was not very big, and it didn't seem to hold anything out of the ordinary either. It was strangely well lit though.

Kagome got the distinct feeling that she was supposed to see something, something which was not exactly there, but something she _had_ to see.

Whilst looking around a small crystal-like object caught her eye. It looked almost like e gem, swirling with different colors and glowing slightly in a mysterious purple light.

She reached for it, not really thinking about what she was doing.

As if the item suddenly rejected her touch, it rolled off the little platform it had been on and landed on the floor with a strangely loud bang.

Arai was at the door, looking at her as if she was an idiot, yet at the same time mortified at the loud sound, "Shit! Kags! You need to be more careful, we're only here to get the necessary things, leave that stupid rock alone, " he looked at her pointedly, "and please try not to drop more stuff, I'd rather not get caught by these people."

Kagome looked back at him, slightly annoyed by his tone. As if she did not already know that they needed to be careful. "I know, I know… but there is something about that stone…" she trained off and bent over to get the gem off the floor.

Arai sighed, he knew when to admit defeat, he did not want to push Kagome too far in their current situation, after all, she had done an exceedingly good job. "Women and your trinkets," he smiled," fine, take it, but get ready to leave, we don't have much time!"

Kagome chuckled to herself, "I got it." She answered, and Arai left the room to continue the search for weapons.

She held the stone close to her face, trying to determine what it was that attracted her to it. It was definitely not a normal stone; the seemingly internal light was proof enough of that. "I wonder why they would have a stone like this one, it has a strange energy about it…" she mumbled, mostly to herself.

As she held it, the stone started to get warm, not in an uncomfortable way, but definitely in an unsettling way. The faint inner glow of the crystal grew, until it engulfed her hand and though she should have been afraid, thought she should have been terrified, Kagome simply stood there and stared at the crystal in her hand.

_It's so beautiful_, she thought.

Next thing she knew, Kagome was flung through the air and onto the hard floor. The impact immediately knocked all the air out of her lungs and she gasped desperately to get it back.

Strangely, the air did not come back to her as fast as she had hoped it would, since now there seemed to be some sort of pressure on top of her.

Her head throbbing from the fall, lungs aching for air, Kagome slowly opened her eyes.

It took her a few seconds to realize that the sea of silver was actually hair, and that it was attached to someone.

_Oh no… What the hell is this!_ She thought. White was not a normal hair color, who in the world was this ?

She heard a slight groan from whatever this thing was, and was soon met by the most peculiar set of eyes she had ever seen, although at that moment, the mesmerizing glow of the bright yellow eyes, and the stark contrast between the bright yellow eyes and pure white hair, was completely lost on her.

Breathing in, slowly, as to not provoke an attack, completely rigid with fear, Kagomes eyes widened as her mind roared; _Demon! Demon! DEMON! IM GOING TO DIE, THERE'S A FUCKING DEMON ON TOP OF ME?_

Kagome, in all her panic, released a piercing scream, reflecting all of her fear, panic and terror at her current situation.

_Gods, please help me!_


End file.
